With only a few days before my 1/2 marathon I thought it would be helpful to write out what I do the week leading up to the race and include some nuggets of information that may be helpful for you. This race is a 'C' race for me, meaning I will not taper or alter my training schedule too much for this race. Simply put, it's another training day, except at a higher intensity and with a lot of people. My goals for this race is to fine tune my pre race meal, breakfast, and nutrition during race and to get some good data from the race regarding my fitness. I also hope to negative split the 2nd half to the 1st half. Here is what I've done this week leading up to the race:
Sunday - 11 mile run - easy
Monday - recovery day
Tuesday - weights
Wednesday - 5 mile run(z2) and 2 hour trainer ride(z2)
Thursday - weights and long swim(z2)
Friday - swim and 2 mile run with some pick ups throughout the run to loosen up the legs
I will stay away with high fiber, high fat, and spicy foods on Friday and keep my diet pretty bland, but healthy, throughout the day. Saturday morning I will have peanut butter on bread, a banana, and sip on water throughout the morning. Not sexy, but it works for me. During the race I will have a GU chased by a water after the 1 hour mark. Some other tips:
1) Eat 2 hours before the race
2) Don't stray from what you've been doing in training or try anything new
3) It is better to start off easy and make up time at the end of the race then start off hard and suffer through the rest of the race.
4) Know your pace as indicated by your training. Magical speed won't show up on race day.
5) Thank the volunteers, they are out there to help make the race enjoyable for you.
6) Show up to the race site at least 30-45 minutes early to give yourself time to get situated.
7) Mentally break the race down into sections - don't think of it as 13 miles, break it down by 1 mile at a time or 1 block at a time. This make it much more manageable.
8) Toward the end of the race pick out someone ahead of you and try and pass them, then pick out someone else and pass them.
9) Have fun! Think of the race as a celebration of all your training and hard work.
10) Leave it all out on the course.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Next 6 Weeks - Perseverance
According to Webster's dictionary, the definition of perseverance is: "continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition : the action or condition or an instance of persevering." In other words, having an end goal and pushing, running over, or negotiating obstacles in order to achieve the end goal.
I was on my 4 hour bike ride this weekend and it was cloudy, cold, and windy. I could of easily bailed on the workout blaming the elements, but I knew I would feel better once it was done. I also knew that this was a key workout and it it going to boost my confidence from an endurance perspective and a mental toughness standpoint.
The next 6 weeks are going to be tough as I'm entering the final stages of training before IM CDA. I've got more 4, 5, 6 hour rides ahead, 5000 yard swims, and 2.5 hour runs ahead. This is the time I need to buckle down and get the work done as I knew it will pay off come race day. It's not the (1) 4-6 hour ride that matters, but the culmination of all the work done week in and week out that is going to get me to the start line healthy and prepared, and endure the 140.6 journey to the finish line.
I was on my 4 hour bike ride this weekend and it was cloudy, cold, and windy. I could of easily bailed on the workout blaming the elements, but I knew I would feel better once it was done. I also knew that this was a key workout and it it going to boost my confidence from an endurance perspective and a mental toughness standpoint.
The next 6 weeks are going to be tough as I'm entering the final stages of training before IM CDA. I've got more 4, 5, 6 hour rides ahead, 5000 yard swims, and 2.5 hour runs ahead. This is the time I need to buckle down and get the work done as I knew it will pay off come race day. It's not the (1) 4-6 hour ride that matters, but the culmination of all the work done week in and week out that is going to get me to the start line healthy and prepared, and endure the 140.6 journey to the finish line.
Monday, April 18, 2011
2011 Race Schedule Explained
Here is what I have planned as of right now, with my 'A' or 'most important' races that I will focus the most of my training on being Ironman CDA and Hy-Vee Oly. The other races really serve one of the following purposes:
- race simulation training
- fun
- experimenting in nutrition, strategy
Drake 1/2 Marathon - April 30th
Bluff Creek Olympic Tri - May 22nd
Dam to Dam 20K - June 4th
CDA Ironman - June 26th
Lifetime Fitness Oly Tri - July 9th (tentative)
RAGBRAI - July 23-26th - Iowa
Big Creek Oly Tri - August 14th
Pigman Half Ironman - August 21st
Hy-Vee Oly - September 4th
Des Moines Half/Full Marathon - Oct 16
I wanted to walk through the schedule a little more in-depth to explain why I chose these races, and the training changes that will occur over the season.
My 1st 'A' race of the season is Ironman Couer D' Alene, and has been the focus of my training over the past few months and will continue to ramp up until early mid June. The Drake 1/2 will help gauge my current running training and allow me to open up a little bit and push the intensity as the majority of my runs have been in lower z2. I will also test out running nutrition as far as water vs sports drink, gels, etc. The next race, Bluff Creek Tri, will allow me the opportunity to dust off the cobwebs of triathlon racing, work on transitions, and reacquaint my body to the feeling of going from the swim -bike-running. Finally Dam to Dam 20K race is something I've done about every year and will be more for fun and chalked up to a training day run.
Finally, IM CDA will be on the horizon which will mean no more racing and the taper will begin up until the June 26th race day! Ironman racing usually requires 4-6 weeks of recovery for amateurs, depending on the individual which is why I have the Lifetime Fitness Tri as tentative. This will probably be a 'week of the race' decision. Less than 2 weeks off and then back to high intensity racing is a probably not a wise decision, but we'll see how recovery is going before completely putting off this race.
RAGBRAI is going to be more about fun and getting in some solid riding. I am doing the 1st 3-4 days(which are the hilliest, and hardest) culminating with a century ride. My primary focus is going to be Hy-Vee, but I need to maintain my higher volume running and swimming for Pigman. I will also incorporate speed work during the week which should translate into positive results for the Olympic races. The long rides in late July will pay dividends in bike fitness for the Pigman.
I am not concerned about having Big Creek one week before the Pigman 1/2 because I'm confident I will be able to recover from that race pretty quickly and be ready for Pigman. I'll have 2 weeks between the 1/2 and my 'A' race - Hy-Vee Oly which may be a little aggressive from a recovery standpoint. I will have to take a look at my training/recovery data to see if doing Pigman is going to be an option this year. I'm guessing with a high volume of training of swimming, biking, and running throughout the year that recovery should be fairly quick as long as I'm proactive about taking the right steps to a quick recovery.
- race simulation training
- fun
- experimenting in nutrition, strategy
Drake 1/2 Marathon - April 30th
Bluff Creek Olympic Tri - May 22nd
Dam to Dam 20K - June 4th
CDA Ironman - June 26th
Lifetime Fitness Oly Tri - July 9th (tentative)
RAGBRAI - July 23-26th - Iowa
Big Creek Oly Tri - August 14th
Pigman Half Ironman - August 21st
Hy-Vee Oly - September 4th
Des Moines Half/Full Marathon - Oct 16
I wanted to walk through the schedule a little more in-depth to explain why I chose these races, and the training changes that will occur over the season.
My 1st 'A' race of the season is Ironman Couer D' Alene, and has been the focus of my training over the past few months and will continue to ramp up until early mid June. The Drake 1/2 will help gauge my current running training and allow me to open up a little bit and push the intensity as the majority of my runs have been in lower z2. I will also test out running nutrition as far as water vs sports drink, gels, etc. The next race, Bluff Creek Tri, will allow me the opportunity to dust off the cobwebs of triathlon racing, work on transitions, and reacquaint my body to the feeling of going from the swim -bike-running. Finally Dam to Dam 20K race is something I've done about every year and will be more for fun and chalked up to a training day run.
Finally, IM CDA will be on the horizon which will mean no more racing and the taper will begin up until the June 26th race day! Ironman racing usually requires 4-6 weeks of recovery for amateurs, depending on the individual which is why I have the Lifetime Fitness Tri as tentative. This will probably be a 'week of the race' decision. Less than 2 weeks off and then back to high intensity racing is a probably not a wise decision, but we'll see how recovery is going before completely putting off this race.
RAGBRAI is going to be more about fun and getting in some solid riding. I am doing the 1st 3-4 days(which are the hilliest, and hardest) culminating with a century ride. My primary focus is going to be Hy-Vee, but I need to maintain my higher volume running and swimming for Pigman. I will also incorporate speed work during the week which should translate into positive results for the Olympic races. The long rides in late July will pay dividends in bike fitness for the Pigman.
I am not concerned about having Big Creek one week before the Pigman 1/2 because I'm confident I will be able to recover from that race pretty quickly and be ready for Pigman. I'll have 2 weeks between the 1/2 and my 'A' race - Hy-Vee Oly which may be a little aggressive from a recovery standpoint. I will have to take a look at my training/recovery data to see if doing Pigman is going to be an option this year. I'm guessing with a high volume of training of swimming, biking, and running throughout the year that recovery should be fairly quick as long as I'm proactive about taking the right steps to a quick recovery.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Skipping Meals = Weight Gain
During a lot of my initial client consultations one of the very first questions I ask a potential client is if they eat breakfast. Most of the time the answer is "no" and the reasoning is chalked up to:
a) not having enough time
b) don't like breakfast
c) not hungry in the mornings
One might assume that by skipping a meal and eating less calories would be advantageous in trying to achieve weight loss. That is not the case, in fact, most of the time the opposite happens - weight gain. Let's walk through what happens physiologically to the body.
The human body is incredibly smart and adaptable. When a meal is skipped, especially breakfast, the body goes into a 'fasting mode' and your metabolism (how efficiently you burn calories) slows down and your body uses protein as its energy stores - in essence it's using your lean muscle mass, and it is keeping your fat stores as reserve energy.
Typically skipping meals will result into cravings. When you cave into the cravings the result will be high blood sugar which causes the body to create triglycerides which convert directly to fat-storage. So the weight you are losing is going to be mostly water and lean muscle.
Once you do get a normal meal chances are high that you'll over-indulge. Your rate of metabolism is very slow and it will take a long time for your body to digest the meal which result in weight gain.
The long term effects include muscle loss, weight gain, poor energy levels, testosterone loss, depleted immune system, and decreased bone density.
Start the morning off right with something to eat. In this case eating something unhealthy is going to be better than not eating anything at all. I would recommend a protein shake, peanut butter on bread, or scrambled eggs mixed with veggies.
For more information on this article or weight loss visit http://www.gettingfitness.com
a) not having enough time
b) don't like breakfast
c) not hungry in the mornings
One might assume that by skipping a meal and eating less calories would be advantageous in trying to achieve weight loss. That is not the case, in fact, most of the time the opposite happens - weight gain. Let's walk through what happens physiologically to the body.
The human body is incredibly smart and adaptable. When a meal is skipped, especially breakfast, the body goes into a 'fasting mode' and your metabolism (how efficiently you burn calories) slows down and your body uses protein as its energy stores - in essence it's using your lean muscle mass, and it is keeping your fat stores as reserve energy.
Typically skipping meals will result into cravings. When you cave into the cravings the result will be high blood sugar which causes the body to create triglycerides which convert directly to fat-storage. So the weight you are losing is going to be mostly water and lean muscle.
Once you do get a normal meal chances are high that you'll over-indulge. Your rate of metabolism is very slow and it will take a long time for your body to digest the meal which result in weight gain.
The long term effects include muscle loss, weight gain, poor energy levels, testosterone loss, depleted immune system, and decreased bone density.
Start the morning off right with something to eat. In this case eating something unhealthy is going to be better than not eating anything at all. I would recommend a protein shake, peanut butter on bread, or scrambled eggs mixed with veggies.
For more information on this article or weight loss visit http://www.gettingfitness.com
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
What Happened to Hard Work?
When I think back to some of my accomplishments thus far in my career, athletic journey, or family life the most rewarding are often the most challenging and difficult. Greater effort = greater reward. I think one of the biggest components missing from today's society is the fact that what you want in life, career, and sport takes hard work. There is no other way around it. There is no silver bullet or magic pill that is going to get you to your goal without doing the work day in and day out.
A perfect example is this video of Miranda Carfrae running form analysis video. Miranda won the IM World Championship last year and is considered one of the best triathlon runners. When you watch her run it looks so easy and flawless. Her form is perfect and she looks so comfortable and relaxed - oh, and she was running between 6:05/6:13 miles.
My point is, it has taken her years and 1000s of hours of consistent training to be that good. (Genetics have played a role in her talent as well). She has dedicated herself to be one of the best in the world and now she is reaping the benefits of her hard work.
Find your passion in what you want to do and put in the hard work, that's the only way to meet your potential and success.
A perfect example is this video of Miranda Carfrae running form analysis video. Miranda won the IM World Championship last year and is considered one of the best triathlon runners. When you watch her run it looks so easy and flawless. Her form is perfect and she looks so comfortable and relaxed - oh, and she was running between 6:05/6:13 miles.
My point is, it has taken her years and 1000s of hours of consistent training to be that good. (Genetics have played a role in her talent as well). She has dedicated herself to be one of the best in the world and now she is reaping the benefits of her hard work.
Find your passion in what you want to do and put in the hard work, that's the only way to meet your potential and success.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Effects of Running in the Wind - Real Life Example
I had a zone 2 run today over lunch and it was particularly windy day. I was curious to what kind of effect it would have on my pace given the zone 2 effort so I set up my Auto Lap for every mile on my Garmin and off I went for a 5.5 mile run. Today's wind gusts are around 24 mph give or take and the temps in the lower 50s at best.
Keep in mind, this is not a scientific study by any means and there are conditions such as hills, traffic, etc that I'm not taking in account here, but this data will give you a rough idea of what kind of impact wind has on running.
Mile 1 - 8:23 - into the wind
Mile 2 - 8:14 - with the wind
Mile 3 - 8:42- into the wind
Mile 4 - 7:57 - with the wind
Mile 5 - 7:54- with the wind
Mile 6 - 7:46- with the wind
There is a pretty profound difference there. More research and info will be coming soon, but this is something to consider when out on your weekend runs. If your mile times seem off, see if wind is a factor.
Keep in mind, this is not a scientific study by any means and there are conditions such as hills, traffic, etc that I'm not taking in account here, but this data will give you a rough idea of what kind of impact wind has on running.
Mile 1 - 8:23 - into the wind
Mile 2 - 8:14 - with the wind
Mile 3 - 8:42- into the wind
Mile 4 - 7:57 - with the wind
Mile 5 - 7:54- with the wind
Mile 6 - 7:46- with the wind
There is a pretty profound difference there. More research and info will be coming soon, but this is something to consider when out on your weekend runs. If your mile times seem off, see if wind is a factor.
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